Carbon-carbon composite materials are composite materials that include a matrix including carbon reinforced with carbon fibers. Carbon-carbon (C—C) composite components can be used in many high temperature applications. For example, the aerospace industry employs C—C composite components as friction materials for commercial and military aircraft, such as brake friction materials.
Some carbon-carbon composites, such as some carbon-carbon composite brake discs that are used in the aerospace industry, may be manufactured from porous preforms that include layers of carbon fiber, which may be densified using one or more of several processes, including chemical vapor deposition/chemical vapor infiltration (CVD/CVI), vacuum/pressure infiltration (VPI), or resin transfer molding (RTM), to infiltrate the porous preform with carbon. Prior to the densification process some preforms may be subjected to a needling process.